BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20)
|Ship name= USS Gayety (AM-239) / (MSF-239) |Ship builder=Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding |Ship ordered=1942 |Ship laid down=14 November 1943 |Ship launched=19 March 1944 |Ship commissioned=23 September 1945 |Ship decommissioned=1 March 1954 |Ship renamed=USS Gayety (MSF-239) |Ship reclassified=Fleet Minesweeper |Ship fate=Transferred to Republic of Vietnam Navy on 17 April 1962. }} |module2= |module3= |module4= (in Philippine Navy service) |Ship type=Patrol Corvette |Ship displacement=914 Tons (Full Load) |Ship length= |Ship beam= |Ship draft= |Ship power=2,200 hp |Ship propulsion=Main: 2 × GM 12-278A diesel engines Auxiliary: 2 × GM 6-71 diesel engines with 100KW gen and 1 × GM 3-268A diesel engine with 60KW gen |Ship speed=16 Knots (maximum), |Ship range=6,600 nmi at 11 knots |Ship complement=85 |Ship sensors=* Raytheon AN/SPS-64(V)11 Surface Search / Navigation Radar''GlobalSecurity.org PS Miguel Malvar Class * Furuno Navigation Radar |Ship armament=* 1 × Mk.26 3"/50 caliber dual purpose gun * 3 × single Bofors 40 mm gun * 4 × Mk.10 Oerlikon 20 mm guns * 4 × M2 12.7 mm 50 caliber machine guns }} }} The BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) is one of several Miguel Malvar class of Patrol Corvettes in service with the Philippine Navy. She was originally built as the USS Gayety (AM-239), an ''Admirable'' class minesweeper with a similar hull to the produced during World War II. Along with other ex-World War II veteran ships of the Philippine Navy, she is considered as one of the oldest active fighting ships in the world today.Armed Forces of the Philippines Order of Battle. Philippine Navy History US Navy Commissioned in the US Navy as the USS Gayety (AM-239) in 1945, she was assigned in the Pacific theatre of operations, specifically around the Japanese home islands providing minefield sweeping and anti-submarine warfare patrols in the Ryukyus and off Okinawa. She suffered a near-miss from a 500-pound bomb and was damaged, although she was quickly put back to fighting shape. After the war she was decommissioned on June 1946 and placed under the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Gayety was recommissioned on 11 May 1951 as a training ship, and was again decommissioned on 1 March 1954, and re-entered Atlantic Reserve Fleet. As part of the reserves, she was reclassified as MSF-239 on 7 February 1955.Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Gayety page. Republic of Vietnam Navy She was then transferred to the Republic of Vietnam on 17 April 1962. She served the Vietnamese Navy as RVN Chi Lang II (HQ-08) up until her escape to the Philippines in 1975, together with other South Vietnamese Navy ships and their respective crew.NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive. Gayety (MSF 239) ex-AM-239.VMAF MAMN. The Inventory of VNN's Battle Ships Philippine Navy She was formally acquired by the Philippine Navy on 5 April 1976, and was commissioned into the Philippine Navy on 7 February 1977 and was renamed RPS Magat Salamat (PS-20). She was renamed to BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) in June 1980 using a new localized prefix.Philippine Navy Information Manual 1995 - Adoption of Pilipino Translation of "Bapor ng Republika ng Pilipinas" Between 1996 and 1997 the ''Magat Salamat underwent major overhaul, weapons and radar systems refit, and upgrade of communications gear.Saunders, Stephen: Jane's Fighting Ships 107th Edition 2004-2005. Jane's Information Group Ltd, 2004. She is currently assigned with the Patrol Force of the Philippine Fleet,Philippine Fleet Official Website. Commissioned Ships and Crafts under the jurisdiction of Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao. Notable Deployments / Exercises On February 2011, the ''Magat Salamat, together with [[BRP Felix Apolinario (PG-395)|BRP Felix Apolinario (PG-395)]], [[BRP Teotimo Figuracion (PG-389)|BRP Teotimo Figuracion (PG-389)]], and other Philippine Navy ships and units participated in Exercise PAGSISIKAP 2011 held in Davao Gulf. The Magat Salamat will be one of the participating ships in the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2012 - Philippines exercises from 2 July to 10 July 2012. Technical details There are slight difference between the BRP Magat Salamat as compared to some of her sister ships in the Philippine Navy, since her previous configuration was as a as compared to some of her sister ships in the Philippine Navy, since her previous configuration was as a minesweepers (''Admirable'' class) while the others are configured as rescue patrol craft escort (PCER) and patrol craft escort (PCE) ships. Armaments Originally the ship was armed with one 3"/50 caliber dual purpose gun, one twin Bofors 40 mm guns, six single 20 mm gun mounts, one Hedgehog depth charge projector, four depth charge projectiles (K-guns) and two depth charge tracks. Changes were made during its transfer to the South Vietnamese Navy, as it appears in photos show the removal of her anti-submarine weapons, removal of two Oerlikon 20 mm guns, and addition of single Bofors 40 mm guns. This made the ship lighter and ideal for surface patrols, but losing her limited anti-submarine warfare capability. The same configuration applies when she was transferred to the Philippine Navy in 1975 up until around 1996-1997. During its overhaul and refit between 1996 to 1997, the Philippine Navy made some changes in the armament set-up. Some sources claim the loss of its Bofors 40mm cannons during the 1990-1991 overhaul and refit period, but photos http://www.timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=15917.15 at of 2011 show the Bofors guns still present. Final armaments fitted to the ship are one Mk.26 3"/50-caliber gun (fore), three single Bofors 40 mm cannons (aft), four Mk.10 Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (2 each on bridge wings), and four M2 Browning 12.7 mm/50 caliber machine guns (2 besides main bridge, 2 aft near the lower Bofors gun tub). Electronics Also during the refit the ship's Sperry SPS-53A surface search radar and RCA SPN-18 navigation radar was replaced by a Raytheon AN/SPS-64(V)11 surface search and navigation radar system. Later modifications included the installation of an additional Furuno navigation radar http://www.timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=15917.30, long range and satellite communications system, and GPS system standard to all Philippine Navy ships. Machinery The ship is originally powered by two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, but was replaced by two GM 12-567ATL diesel engines, then later by two GM 12-278A diesel engines, with a combined rating of around driving two propellers. The main engines can propel the 914 tons (full load) ship to a maximum speed of around .''DLSU N-ROTC Office. Naming and Code Designation of PN Vessels. References External links * Philippine Navy Official website * Philippine Fleet Official Website * Philippine Defense Forum * Hazegray World Navies Today: Philippines * Opus224's Unofficial Philippine Defense Page Category:Ships of the Philippine Navy Category:1944 ships